MARK JAMES // biography
Every industry has benchmarks and every industry has certain, special individuals that personify their very essence and help define excellence within them. The Australian dance music industry is naturally no exception and Mark James is without question it’s certain, special individual: and then some … An established DJ, renowned Producer, and esteemed Managing Director of Australia’s most prestigious promotion agency, Future Entertainment, there is very little that Mark hasn’t achieved in his groundbreaking career – which in 2007 spans two, illustrious decades.
As a DJ, Mark has made a name for himself as one of Australia’s very finest …
For over 20 years, for legions of clubbers and ravers the name ‘Mark James’ has been synonymous with upfront big room tunes, world class track selection, and creative, dynamic mixing. A gifted and passionate DJ, he has spent his career rocking the nation’s biggest clubs, thrilling its most spectacular festival main stages, and above all … delivering payloads of hand-selected bombs on crowds from Melbourne to Miami. Indeed, from warming up for Amin Van Buuren ,Tiesto,Carl Cox ,John Digweed and Paul Van Dyk or to playing to 20,000+ crowds at the Myer Music Bowl, there’s little that he hasn’t achieved – right down to being officially inducted as one of Pioneer Pro DJ’s elite global ambassadors … In an inimitable career littered with highlights, it’s hard to put the breadth and depth of Mark’s DJ’ing experiences into words. On top of holding countless past and present club residencies in his hometown Melbourne.Mark has prolifically toured and gigged locally and internationally, played at a veritable ‘who’s who’ of the world’s finest venues/nights, and spun sets for some of the globe’s most famous labels – including Gatecrasher, Godskitchen,Renaissance and Global Underground. He’s literally ‘mixed it with the best’, having played with practically every major international DJ the world has ever seen – including legends like Sasha & Pete Tong and most recently, rising stars like Swedish House Mafia , Chris Lake and Tocadisco and he’s been a regular and iconic name on the lineup in Australia’s biggest festival main stages since their inception in the 90’s - including most recently the 35,000+ 2010 Future Music Festival and Summadayze monster gigs. The list of Mark’s DJ’ing achievements goes on and on … just like his passion and enthusiasm for tunes. With his finger firmly on dance music’s pulse and a passion for tunes like no other, his CD wallet is constantly brimming with essential new weapons and crowds from 1,000 to 30,000 can’t get enough when he fires them … and neither can he: “Dance music is more than a passion for me, it’s a way of life. I love nothing more than making people move, giving them new sounds, and sending a floor crazy every Saturday night – it’s the best job in the whole damn world!” he laughs. Known to his peers as ‘the DJ’s DJ’, and respected industry-wide as one of its hardest working and most successful talents; after 20 years (and a millionlate nights) behind the decks Mark’s passion for tunes shows no sign of slowing down … quite the opposite, in fact: in 2010 his trademark intensity for rocking beats and rocking floors is perhaps stronger than ever before! Having launched his own ‘Future Clubs’ brand and opened the nation’s biggest club night ‘Famous’ (at Queensbridge in Melbourne – and at Home Nightclub in Sydney) in late 2006, he’s spent every Saturday night since dropping electro-charged bombs on its screaming 2,000+ main floor! This Famous weekly residency has already seen him play with the likes of Martin Tejn Velden, Jimmy Van M, King Unique and Princess Superstar in 2007; … In 2008 Mark has taken some time off from weekly Djing performing only at special selected events including Summadayze , Future Music Festival , Armin Van Burren and Godskitchen tours.
As a Producer, Mark has enjoyed the sort of success that many musicians only dream of …
Since his first studio project, Bass Culture, took charts by storm with a top-selling album and string of successful hits in the early 1990’s, Mark’s production talents have delivered global club hits like ‘Hear Me’ and ‘Eternal’ by Eternal (a project with Carl Cox which went Top Ten in UK Club charts) and have seen him in the studio alongside the likes of Paul Oakenfold, John 00 Fleming, Hybrid, and Jan Johnston. In 1997 he remixed Eternal and returned it to the UK charts, where it became a favourite amongst DJ’s worldwide including the (late) great DJ Tony De Vit - who listed it as his most played record in 1997. Two more Eternal singles followed: ‘Mind Odyssey’, released on seminal UK electronic label Warp Records (which made the top 20 UK Dance Charts); and in 1994 (after a short name change to Eternal Rhythm) ‘Deep Down’ launched into clubs worldwide – unashamedly aided by the support of John Digweed, who listed it as one of his coveted Top Ten Tacks of the year in 1994. Furthermore, in 2000, ‘Deep Down’ received some remixing and subsequently enjoyed a single re-release on Quad UK and featured on a number of mix CD’s – including Danny Howells’ seminal Global Underground compilation. In 1999, Mark remixed Men At Work’s classic ‘Downunder’ for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, before following up with ‘Hot Like The Sun’ for Paul Oakenfold’s label, Perfecto - after being personally chosen by Paul to head the Underground Sound of Australia EP project. ‘Hot Like The Sun’ found its way onto Godskitchen’s 2001 compilation and was also included on Ferry Corsten’s 2001 mix CD, Dance Valley, not to mention cranked in main rooms worldwide. His follow up single, ‘I Love America’ ensured further success and after special remixes by some of the worlds best DJs (including John 00 Fleming and Infusion) soon became yet another favourite with DJs and floors worldwide.2008 saw Mark busy in the studio. Fired up by the electro House vibe that went sweeping the globe, his single ‘I Want You’ sees' him tweaking the knobs to full effect (and employing the wicked vocals of Hamish McCowan, ex-Cordrazine) and did huge things at the hands of the nation’s main room DJ’s – not mention its NO 1 position for 6 weeks on the ARIA dance charts.In 2009 Mark has taken a step back from Djing and producing due to some ear problems, he hopes to be back in action early 2010.
As a Promoter, Mark is in a league of his own … Since organizing Melbourne’s first ever dance events in the late 1980’s (including Boom! with Sasha and Carl Cox) and the world famous Docklands parties he has consistently been the most influential dance event organiser in Australia for the last decade and his company, Future Entertainment, is world renowned for its quality, professionalism and commitment. In addition to touring the world’s most prestigious club brands and DJ’s, Mark is also responsible for devising and running Australia’s biggest dance music festivals, Future Music Festival and Summadayze, which now attract sell-out 40,000 plus crowds and tour every major city in both Australia and New Zealand. But despite being named 1 in Ministry Magazine’s ‘2001 Top 50 Influential People in Australian Dance Music’, placed just outside of BRW’s ‘2002 Top 50 Australian Entertainers’ and in 2010 Mark sits at No 34 on the list, Future Entertainment events has received over 35 awards for ‘Best Event's’ (2002 to 2009), multiple accolades are not what drives Mark. “I don’t do anything I do for the awards or to see my name in the paper”, he says. “Be it promoting, DJ’ing or producing, at the end of the day, what puts a smile on my face and makes it all worth while is to see the crowd having a great time”.
MARK JAMES // discography
Bass Culture (Singles: 1994/95/96)
LOVE THE LIFE feat GINA G
YOUVE GOT A FRIEND feat KATE CEBERANO
IVE LEARNED TO COPE feat LISA MAXWELL
LOVE WILL FIND A WAY feat SUZI AHERN
BC.NATION/BASS CULTURE ALBUM (1995)
MARK JAMES Project singles and remixes
1992 ETERNAL ETERNAL (co-produced with Carl Cox)
1993 ETERNAL MIND ODYSSEY
1994 ETERNAL RHYHTM DEEP DOWN
1996 BODY WORK - MARK JAMES (1996)/
1996 remix LOVE THE LIFE (feat. remixes by Pee Wee and Ivan Gough)
1996 remix TIME TO MAKE THE FLOOR BURN PEE WEE VS JOHN FERRIS
1997 remix ETERNAL ETERNAL (feat. remix by Kasey Taylor, Our House)
1998 NEBULA BLADE
1999 remix UMPLA THE ELEPHANT Mr. Quick
1999 remix ETERNAL RHYTHM DEEP DOWN (Ocean Wave Mixes)
1999 remix FEEL MY BODY Frank 'O' MOIRAGHI
2000 remix DOWN UNDER MEN AT WORK
2002 remix IM A DJ SONIC ANIMATION
2002 remix LIFE SONG HAMISH
2002 - HEAR ME MARK JAMES
2002 - I LOVE AMERICA- MARK JAMES
2004 - DYFAM M PROJECT
2005 - IS THAT A PISTOL? MARK JAMES
2007- I WANT YOU - MARK JAMES FEAT HAMISH
